Poké Wars: The Survival
by Janus366
Summary: The world has changed, the pokemon have turned against human beings in an attempt to exterminate them. What will humanity do now? The era of civilization have ended and the era of The Survival has begun. Based on Poké Wars written by Cornova.
1. The Beginning of the War

**All the rights of Pokemon belong to Nintendo and the idea of Poké Wars comes from Cornova. I wanto to give thanks to both Captain Zangano and Zarrelion for helping me to translate this chapter.**

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><p><em>Who would have thought that the world would change like this?<br>That one day, all reality, all we know, would disappear in the blink of an eye.  
>Sometimes, I stop to think about how the world might have been if none of this had happened.<br>That millions of innocent people and Pokémon have not been killed,  
>That we had not lost our homes, our families and friends,<br>That a Pokémon had not decided to take such a drastic decision,  
>That there would not have been war...<em>

**Poké Wars: The Survival**

**The Beginning of the War**

**August 16**

Night blanketed the small forest. In a clearing, two figures were sitting around a bonfire while the other five slept peacefully not far from the fire. One of the figures around the bonfire was a teen of about seventeen years old, with brown eyes and hair and clad in long robes, thanks to the cold of that night. The other figure was a scarlet feathered Pokémon watching the flames he generated. The teenager was looking at something else: a silver medal. The plaque read: "Second Place, Ever Grande Conference. Arthur Collins from Petalburg City" Arthur looked it with a mix of pride and disappointment.

"What a trip we took, Bruce… We traveled all over the Hoenn region. We won eight gym medals and we become incredibly strong together." Arthur looked away to his other five Pokémon.

"But anyway, we just got the second place. Fate has strange designs, doesn't it Bruce?" The latter said to the Pokémon in front of him. Bruce was the first Pokémon of Arthur. He began his journey as a helpless Torchic bullied by the other Pokémon on Professor Birch's laboratory. Now, he was a powerful Blaziken. Bruce was not only Arthur's main — and strongest — pokémon but also his best friend.

Bruce looked up and stared into the eyes of Arthur.

"Although I must admit that Marcus and his Infernape was the biggest challenge we had had up until then. Truth be told, we both had the same chance of winning," Arthur said as he gazed into the bonfire.

Bruce nodded; Monferno was the most difficult opponent he had fought in his life. Although he had lost, he and his trainer had ended up being one of the favorites of the Conference of that year, winning many fans and admirers. For Arthur, it was all a strange and new experience.

"Tomorrow, we arrive at Petalburg City; we better go to bed early, I'm eager to visit Professor Birch."

It was more or less a year ago since Arthur saw him directly. He wanted to thank him for being introduced into the world of pokémon and his support by video calls throughout his journey. Arthur would also visit his master, who taught self-defense in the dojo in his hometown and Birch would be able see his son, Brendan, whom he had not seen in a long time. Coincidentally, Brendan also happened to be a great friend of Arthur's. He thought of the great coincidence that so many people he knew would be in the city that day; it would be a great reunion.

He looked at his sleeping pokémon. Maybe Bruce was his strongest pokémon but without the others, it would have been impossible to go fruther. There was Bahamut, his powerful Salamence. Next to him was his Lanturn, Lucy. A pokémon with the gift of being both a water and electric pokémon. His Alakazam, Leonard — or "Leo" — was leaning on Bahamut. The Alakazam had been named in honor of an uncle who worked as a researcher at a company called Orretech. Kaiser, his Tyranitar, was asleep in a tree not far from the others. Finally, Shadow, his Gengar, slept on the grass.

Arthur yawned as he got out his supplies; tomorrow would be a new day and he had many things to do.

"Well, Bruce, it's time to rest," he said as he unrolled his sleeping bag. As he did so, he heard groans from Bruce. "What's wrong Bruce?"

No reply except more groans. Arthur turned his head. His eyes widened as his grip faltered, causing the bag in his hand to hit the ground with a dull _thud_. Bruce was in the throes of a debilitating condition: his body trembled, his hands clasped around his head, his eyes closed and beak open in a silent scream.

As suddenly as it began, it stopped. For a few seconds. Columns of incandescent rage rocketed into the night sky as Bruce punched, kicked and slashed at invisible demons. Nightmarish screeches of pain rent the air.

Arthur could only watch — mouth agape and feet rooted in place — as the rest of his team succumbed to the assault.

Lances of fire issued forth from Bruce, many of them narrowly missing the trees. Lucy was an out-of-control thunderstorm; jagged bolts of electric fury screamed forth from the writhing mass that was Lucy. Shadow staggered about in blind agony as umbral spheres flew from his hands with wild abandon. Kaiser repeatedly stomped the ground as if to dull his agony. Each stomp from the Tyranitar caused the ground to ripple like a stormy ocean. Bahamut roared as he lurched through the skies. Flamethrower and Hyper Beam issued forth from his gaping maw without concern of their target.

The maelstrom of pokémon attacks increased in its fury — and Arthur was right in the center. It was then he noticed something unusual. The fires of Bahamut and Bruce looked brighter and warmer than before. It seemed that if he touched the fire, it would be no different than sticking his hand into the bonfire he had created before. He would be badly burned. Bahamut launched a Hyper Beam that smashed into the ground, digging a huge crater that had Arthur staring in shock. The deafening tattoo of explosions came courtesy of Shadow's Shadow Ball attack. Even though the black spheres flew into the distance, Arthur could feel the blast rattling his lungs. Each stomp by Kaiser ripped gashes in the earth that seemed to have no end. Lucy's thunderbolts struck near Arthur — much to his consternation — leaving behind leaving scorched grass and the biting odor of ozone.

_This is crazy! What the hell is happening? If this continues I'm surely dead! _Arthur thought.

He did the only logical thing. He ran. He ran as fast and as far from the raging storm as his legs could carry him. His heart hammered in his chest as he ran. He racked his brain as to why his pokémon's attacks suddenly became so powerful.

When he felt he had made it a safe distance, morbid curiosity — or was it concern — compelled Arthur to turn back towards the epicenter of the chaos. The last thing Arthur saw was Leonard, letting loose an ear-rending scream as he opened his eyes. Arthur would never forget the sight of Leonard's eyes ablaze with a freezing azure glow as the Alakazam struggled to restrain the immense psychic power surging through him. Before Arthur could say anything, he was roughly hurled to the ground and left unconscious by an invisible force.

After a while, Arthur slowly began to regain consciousness. He lay on the grass, unable to do much but feel pain. As he struggled to his feet, he tasted blood in his mouth. Was it the result of the fall or Leo's attack? What if this wasn't the last? Arthur recalled the terrifying power of his Pokémon's attack. How were his Pokémon? Were they hurt, or worse, dead?

Arthur's Pokémon were unconscious on the ground. He ran first to Bruce and felt for a pulse. The faint beat of the Blaziken's heart caused Arthur to breathe a sigh of relief. Bruce was unconscious, but alive. A few more minutes, he found that Lucy, Shadow, Bahamut, Kaiser and Leonard were in the same state as Bruce.

The trainer looked at his backpack. There was the usual camping gear and other supplies needed for a journeys but nothing that could deal with a medical emergency as serious as this. That left him only one choice: he needed to get his team to a Pokémon center with all due haste.

Arthur returned his team to their pokéballs and extinguished the remnants of the bonfire. He silently thanked whatever deity that had kept Bahamut and Bruce from turning the forested campground into a raging inferno. If that had happened, all of them would have most certainly been killed. After packing his things, he took off in a dead sprint to Petalburg City.

After a seeming eternity, Arthur saw the lights of his home town. Despite it being half past eleven at night, the city was bustling with activity — and not in a good way. People were milling about in streets littered with broken glass and debris. Many of them cradled unconscious pokémon in their arms. Arthur looked around; many houses had windows shattered or doors torn from their frames. The young trainer headed straight for the Pokémon Center. En route, he saw an ambulance with lights and sirens going full bore barreling towards the human hospital. Did the same thing happen in the city as well? Were there people injured? Or maybe — Arthur shuddered as he recalled the ambulance passing by and the now deadly attacks of his pokémon — dead?

Arthur burst through the doors of the pokémon center. The crowd of distraught men, women and children cradling their friends, pets and loved ones parted as if by an invisible hand. The frantic movements and barked orders of the Nurse Joys added to the cacophony.

A trainer with an unconscious Zigzagoon in his arms shoved his way to the front of the crowd milling abut the desk. "Sorry," she said looking over the young man with haggard eyes. "We're at max capacity and our Chansey have been affected by some strange phenomenon. If your pokémon are not seriously hurt, we'll treat them here.

She then pointed to an area where pokémon were lying on mattresses, blankets or sleeping bags. Their trainers — some of whom were themselves injured — had been pressed into service as nurses and orderlies.

Other pokémon were placed on stretchers and hustled to ICU. Their wounds were of a variety that Arthur had never seen on pokémon before: horrid gashes that exposed glistening muscle and fat; third-degree burns that left the victim looking more like a charcoal briquette than a pokémon; limbs twisted and bent into unnatural angles or even bones so badly broken that they protruded from the skin, among other disturbing injuries.

The young man's stomach lurched as he took in the scene before him. He swallowed in an attempt to force the rising bile back down into his stomach. Luckily, a voice was able to take his eyes off the mangled pokémon.

"Sir!" a nurse said. "If you pokémon are not seriously injured, please take them to the indicated—"

"Nurse, wait!" a familiar voice said. "Let me handle this!" The voice came from an old friend: Professor Birch.

"Professor!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Come here; there's something I have to show you!" The professor took Arthur to another room of the pokémon center.

"Arthur!" At the mention of his name, the young man looked around the room. A panoply of familiar faces stared back at him.

Present was his master; Brendan, Professor Birch's son; the local gym leader, Norman with his wife Caroline and son Max. The couple's daughter, May, was absent as she was in Johto competing in pokémon contest circuit. Andrew, an old friend of Arthur, who had taken up pokémon breeding instead of training was also present.

The first few minutes were marked with greetings and statements of relief that everyone was okay. Unfortunately, once the greetings were over, it was time for the questions. Questions that would undoubtedly have unpleasant answers.

"What happened!?" Arthur demanded. "I was supposed to arrive here tomorrow morning! Instead, my pokémon get hit with some strange affliction, I almost died!"

"Some affliction has struck the city's pokémon too," Brendan replied. "We were all gathered in the gym when all the pokémon in the city were suddenly affected by this strange event. Most of the pokémon are unconscious — for now"

Brendan was the fourteen year old son of Professor Birch. The teen had begun his adventure several years ago. In between the start of his journey and now, he had won the medals of the League and even placing third in the Ever Grande Conference three years ago. Since then, he had devoted himself to traveling and battling in the different battle towers around the world.

Brendan and Arthur had met on the latter's journey and they soon became good friends. Arthur was surprised to find out that he was the son of Professor Birch. He had never pictured the man as a father. As usual, Brendan wore his trademark outfit: a white cap with a black band at the base with a red pokéball design on the front. Try as he may, Arthur never knew why his friend liked it so much. A red shirt, black fingerless gloves, a light yellow and blue jacket, black sweat pants with yellow accents at the pant legs and sneakers patterned like his jacket completed his outfit.

"My apprentice, I notice that your adventure has strengthened you, it's a shame that my partner is not awake to greet you."

Arthur turned around at the voice and saw his master, Batuo. The elderly man wore a black robe, white linen trousers and sandals. Despite his age, he was very healthy and in excellent shape. Batuo came from a distant land about thirty years ago whereupon he settled in Petalburg city. Since then, he built his house and dojo there, where upon he taught his disciples. Being Arthur his current student at the moment.

Batuo's partner was currently lying in an MRI machine. The machine whirred and hummed as it scanned the seemingly uninjured Medicham.

"Thank goodness you're safe, Arthur!" Norman exclaimed.

Being from the same hometown, Norman and Arthur knew each other. In fact, Arthur had won his fifth gym badge last year after triumphing against his normal type pokémon. Arthur also knew about Norman's wife, Caroline. On the other hand, he knew pretty much nothing about their two children, Max and May.

"Lucky the Houndour missed you," Andrew said.

Andrew was a year younger than Arthur and lived on the outskirts of the city. His family came from Johto and brought their beloved Houndour with them. They raised Houndour as guardians and companions. However, business was not very good. Mainly because they were not native to Hoenn and their demonic appearance did little to help matters. Andrew's mother managed the farm, while his father, in contrast, had what was widely seen as one of, if not _the,_ worst jobs: the army.

There has not been a war in decades and many people felt that military forces were obsolete. His father's influence was definitely visible in Andrew's outfit of combat boots, a white shirt, dog tags around the neck and woodland camouflage pattern BDU trousers. Tiredness was visible in his dark eyes and sweat dotted his short black hair. Apparently he had run all the way from the breeding farm to the pokémon center to treat his Houndoom and Hondour.

"I think the scan is almost done," Professor Birch said as he heard a beep to mark the end of the procedure. He then bought up the results from the scan on the computer. Batuo, Norman, Max and Brendan crowded around the terminal.

"Any clue as to what happened to Medicham and the others?" Batuo asked.

"This is—"

"What is it dad?" Brendan asked.

"There is a strange anomaly in Medicham's brain. Each pokémon has a brain area that controls their attacks and limits what the pokémon can learn according to their genetics. It also regulates how strong they are but half of that brain area of Medicham shows no neurological activity…" Professor Birch trailed off.

"And that means?" Norman demanded.

"Either Medicham can no longer use attacks or his attacks have become incredibly powerful; something like…" He struggled to find the right words.

"More lethal?" Andrew suggested. He brushed a long scratch on his arm that had scabbed over. He had gotten this wound very recently; one of the Houndour had him and drew blood — something that had never happened before.

Max digested this information. He had remained silent until this point. "So…Now attacks can hurt people and pokémon…"

There was dead silence. Pokémon never have been dangerous to people, their attacks never deadly. What caused this strange phenomenon? Were pokémon affected just in the area or was it something massive? These questions haunted the mind of everyone present.

Then Max said something that chilled everyone to the core. "What if a pokémon…kills…I mean, when a pokémon defeats another in combat, it gains experience and becomes stronger, but now what happens? How strong they would become? Could this incite them to attack us?"

A collective shudder ran through everyone. No one said it but it was greatest fear: being attacked by these nightmarishly powerful wild pokémon. After an agonizing minute, Birch finally spoke.

"Max does raise a valid question. Let me run some simulations."

The scientist went to the computer in the room and bought up a simulation program. He ran a test, to see what would happen if a common and weak pokémon — in this case a Zigzagoon — defeated a human-like opponent. The result was revealing and chilling: it predicted that the pokémon would instantly evolve into Linoone.

The whole room was deadly silent. Their worst fears were confirmed; pokémon were now capable of killing and they grew stronger with each kill. Then there was a sound that made everyone's hair stand on end. The sound of Medicham beginning to regain consciousness. How would pokémon who belongs to a pokémon trainer react? Will Medicham slaughter them?

The entire room breathed a collective sigh of relief when Medicham simply looked at the crowd surrounding him. His face bore a questioning expression. Everyone was relieved. Could this mean that everything would be okay?

"We all know that you have many questions about what happened to the Pokémon. However it is late and I need to bring the results of my simulationto the police," Professor Birch said.

"Professor, what will happen then?" Norman asked.

"I cannot answer that. For all we know, we may have to evacuate the city. But discussions of that will occur tomorrow. I'm sure you are all very tired."

Everyone agreed. The clock showed that it was a bit past midnight.

"Are your pokémon fine, Arthur?" Professor Birch asked.

"Well…My other pokémon as well as myself were knocked unconscious by a psychic attack from my Alakazam. As you can see I am fine; however, my Pokémon are still unconscious. Unhurt, though," Arthur replied.

"Well, that will relieve some of the burden of the nurses. Their Chansey still are unconscious but soon they should recover and be able to treat the seriously injured. Well, it's time to get some sleep."

Everyone turned around and headed for the exit when they were stopped by the professor's voice.

"Please be careful outside."

The words taken to heart, the crowd started to disperse. Arthur followed Batuo and Medicham.

"I am supposed to be staying at your house, Sifu?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, my apprentice. We agreed with your parents that you would be staying at my house until they return. Tomorrow, you can go to your house and take whatever you want while you stay at the guest room," Batuo replied.

Arthur, Medicham and Batuo emerged into the main area of the pokémon center. Things were running more smoothly now. The fact that several Chansey were now awake and rendering assistance was probably a major factor. The trio left the center and went to Batuo's house. His house was a two-story house built in a traditional Asian style with an annex that also served as the training area.

They entered the house, left the shoes next to the door and went upstairs.

"Well apprentice, go to the guest room and get some rest. Tomorrow, we see how strong you and your pokémon have become in your journey," Batuo said.

"Roger, Sifu, see you tomorrow, have good night," Arthur replied.

Medicham and Batuo and went to their rooms as Arthur entered to the guest room. Arthur collapsed upon the single bed waiting for him. He was completely drained by the events of tonight and he just wanted to sleep.

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><p>Several hours later, Arthur was rudely awakened by shouting and someone roughly shaking him.<p>

"Arthur, Arthur! Wake up!"

"Sifu, what is going on?" Arthur replied as he rubbed his eyes. The golden light of dawn could be seen through the window. "It's too early in the morning…"

"Get up Arthur!" Batuo shouted. "Norman's boy was right! The wild pokémon are attacking the city!"

That did it. The sudden surge of adrenaline banished all sleepiness from the young man. "What!?" Arthur shouted, launching himself from the bed.

It was then he noticed that Batuo had a _jian _in each hand. Arthur bolted off to seize his belongings. In his haste to get ready, he wasn't able to tell if the red on his master's swords was blood or not.

"Quick! Medicham is repelling them downstairs!" Batuo barked.

Master and pupil went down the stairs at full speed and arrived to the training zone. The annex/training area was a large space, with sliding doors overlooking the courtyard. There was Medicham fighting against a group of Zigzagoon, Taillow and Poochyena. Medicham was using Psycho Cut to generate two purple energy blades from the back of his hands. With lethal speed and accuracy, he slashed at his foes, removing heads and limbs with the lethal grace of a champion swordsman. The floor of the annex was soon decorated with heads, limbs, organs and blood.

Arthur was paralyzed. He could not believe the orgy of violence in front of him. What scared him most was Medicham's expression — a cold, concentrated stare. The pokémon's actions were mechanically efficient; his goal was to protect his master and his disciple at all costs. The mobility and precision in their attacks were something Arthur had never seen before. Medicham was now much stronger than Arthur remembered him.

The side walls of the training area fell inwards as three Linoone and three Mightyena entered. The six glared at Arthur and Batuo. Arthur released Bruce. The Blaziken was now awake. Bruce's eyes burned with same mix of fiery determination and joy at unleashing his now massive reserves of power.

Batuo seized a _qiang _hanging on a wall and threw it to Arthur. The disciple took the two meter long, black wooden pole and brandished it.

Arthur felt nauseous at thought of killing a pokémon. But the eyes of the Mightyena and Linoone were filled with uncontrollable bloodlust. If he gave them any opening, they would tear him apart. He had no choice. It was kill or be killed.

"Bruce! Are you ready?" Arthur shouted. Blaziken

Bruce nodded and gave a battle cry. He cocked his fists as flames wreathed his wrists.

Student, teacher and pokémon charged into battle.


	2. The First Battle

**After a long time without being able to find someone to help me translate my Poké Wars fanfic to english, I have finally been able to contact someone who could help me translate this second chapter of this story who is nearing to be finished in his original language. Im really sorry for the long wait, but its was not easy to find a person who could help, specially someone with english as main language who could offer himself to work to tanslate a spanish fanfiction.  
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**All the honors are for Captain Zangano, the person who to thanks to him, you can read this. I hope that i can continue to rely on him , and that in the future, he could keep helping me to finish the rest of this massive work. Captain Zangano, I really thank you for all of what you have done to make this translated chapter possible.**

**3/9/2013: With the help of Zarrelion, i have updated an improved version of this chapter with less errors and I hope that most of then are gone now. Im considering in asking his help again so you can have a better presented work in the future.  
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><p><strong>The First Battle<strong>

A Mightyena jumped futilely against Arthur, only to end up impaled on his spear. He froze when he saw how the hyena pokémon twisted and then lay still; the spear must have pierced its heart.

A Linoone took the opportunity to try and tackle Arthur while he was paralyzed by the shock of what he had done. Bruce darted in front of him, clenched his hands together and raised them over his head. Just at the right moment, he swung his clenched hands down on the pokémon's back, severing its spine with an audible _crunch_.

Arthur realized that if he didn't fight for his life, he could lose his own at any moment. He never thought that the arts he had studied for more than six years would be used in this way. More pokémon entered into the building, but they had chosen the wrong prey: a master monk, his apprentice, and two of their highly trained pokémon — trained not only in regular combat, but also with the philosophy and the teachings of their trainers. No matter how many enemies appeared, they would end up cut by swords, impaled on spears or hit by pokémon attacks.

A Mightyena tried to attack Bruce, only to receive a flying kick to its neck, which fractured under the powerful blow. Arthur was amazed at Bruce's new power; now he could kill with minimal force, and he was frightened by the idea that he wouldn't be able to control his strength.

A Swellow tried to cut Batuo with an Aerial Ace but Medicham, predicting the attack with his Future Sight, fell on the attacker with a Thunderpunch. His fist turned yellow as it crackled with electricity. The punch tore the bird's light bones to shreds and the body burst into flames from the electricity. It flew through the window and ended up in the garden's zen fountain. Batuo, despite his many years of experience, was surprised by the macabre spectacle.

Another Mightyena, located near a wall of the room, charged Bruce; he ran to the wall and with a great demonstration of quickness, ran up to it and then flipped off of it. The Mightyena smashed against the wall, stunned. Finally, Bruce ended its suffering with a devastating kick to its spine, fracturing it with a single blow.

Arthur threw a spear at a Swellow, transfixing it to a wall and giving him time to take two _jian _from a wall. A Mightyena who had joined the fight tried to bite Arthur, but ended up with a sword in its chest and another in its neck.

The training area was soon littered with corpses. Eventually, the wild pokémon seemed to realize that the battle was futile and started to retreat. The four warriors breathed heavily, recovering from the heat of the battle.

"Sifu, what should we do?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know, apprentice, but surely the rest of the city's inhabitants are in danger and we must help them!" Batuo replied.

"Understood!"

The four warriors looked outside and saw a macabre sight: people ran through the streets as Linoone charged them; Mightyena tore open peoples' necks, Taillow and Swellow slashed people with their sharp wings. Arthur felt his stomach turn; it was as if the worst nightmare of any trainer had become reality: pokémon using their abilities to massacre people without any trace of pity or mercy.

Batuo noticed Arthur's unsettled and pale face.

"Arthur! Don't lose your composure! It seems bad but don't lose control! You need to stay strong!" Batuo ordered

"I…I…you are right, Sifu..." Arthur replied.

Arthur heard to the sound of a siren in the distance along with an announcement from a PA system.

"All citizens please go to the police station! We are mounting a defensive line there! I repeat, we are mounting a defensive line there!"

Arthur then heard the sound of the patrol car's brakes squeal and then its crash. "We have to help them!"

"No!" Batuo replied. "I understand why you wish to help but if wild pokemon have caused the accident, it's already too late to help them!"

"But…"

Batuo put his hand on his student's shoulder. "You should go to the police station. We can help defend it and protect everyone we meet there and along the way!"

Arthur had to swallow his feeling of helplessness. "Understood!"

The four warriors advanced through the streets filled with wild pokémon. They tried to find survivors in the streets, but there were nothing but corpses. They knew a few of the people: a local baker who was found leaning against a wall on a puddle of his own blood with a visible head injury. There was also a young florist no more than twenty years old; her beauty and life taken away by a gash than ran from neck to forehead. It was a horrible sight to see and Arthur preferred to walk straight towards the police station. The few wild pokémon that appeared were quickly dispatched by Bruce and Medicham and any that appeared from the rear were dealt with by the two swordsmen. They passed a burning police car but both teacher and apprentice didn't think there was any chance of survival for those who had been inside.

Finally they reached the police station: four police officers including two Officer Jennies had barricaded themselves behind two overturned tables emplaced in front of the large reinforced wooden door of the building. They were all were armed with Colt .45 pistols and fired at any pokémon that tried to enter the stronghold or attack the last few survivors arriving. Arthur, Batuo and the two pokémon charged through the entrance.

"No more survivors! Everyone inside!" shouted an Officer Jenny who seemed to be in charge.

Four strong-looking officers started to move the heavy wooden doors. The four officers who were outside darted in as the door nearly closed. One of the officers shot a Zigzagoon in the head before the door closed. After closing the door, two officers lowered a large wooden bar to lock the door, completely locking it. They could hear bumps and scratches against the door, but the door was strong and was barely affected by the attacks.

Everyone inside was panting from the exertion and fear. Arthur looked around the main hall of the building and realized that it was the safest place around. The police station was an old building and had been once a museum. The structure was made of solid concrete with iron anti-theft bars covering most of the windows, making it impossible for pokémon to enter, except through the front door. The structure was also large enough to accommodate many people; it was, in short, a good fort to hold.

"Nice job everyone! Start fortifying the barricade!" ordered the Officer Jenny in charge. At her command, the police started to block the entrance with tables, desks, chairs and any other furnishings they could get their hands on. A few civilians offered to help. Arthur also started to help when another voice called to him.

"Arthur, Mr. Batuo! I'm glad that you're ok!" said the voice that came running towards them. It was Birch.

"Same here, Professor," Arthur replied.

"I would like to know how the police prepared such an effective countermeasure for this emergency," Batuo asked.

"Last night, when you two left, I went with my son to the police station and showed them the results from the scan of Medicham and told them about Max's theory of a possible attack by wild pokémon. Obviously, they met it with skepticism. But I at least convinced the police chief enough to prepare emergency measures. An emergency plan was prepared and there was supposed to have been a meeting tomorrow to announce it — or rather today. But as you see, things have happened faster than anticipated and we haven't been able to do much," Birch replied.

Arthur lowered his eyes. The visions of people killed by wild pokemon still plagued his mind.

"Have Norman and his family made it this far?" asked Batuo.

"Yes, thank Arceus. My son is also here with them, but Andrew and his mother haven't appeared yet…"

"No!" exclaimed Arthur. One of his best friends was out there in mortal danger. He had to do something!

"Do not despair, Arthur. They haven't been able to arrive since they live in the outskirts, and remember that they have a pack of Houndour and Houndoom to protect them."

"That doesn't matter, we should…!"

Suddenly, he heard a loud bang on the as the bar on the door and the barricade shuddered. Something large was hitting the door or the wild pokémon had started using more powerful moves in order to break down the door.

"What's that noise?!" someone shouted. The shouter soon came into view; it was Brendan, and Norman was at his side.

"Something very strong is attacking the door! We don't know what…!" someone said.

Another impact landed against the door and several items of the barricade fell.

"Prepare yourselves!" shouted the officer in charge. "The door won't last much longer!"

Several officers armed themselves with shotguns and stood behind a few desks that had not been used to reinforce the door, preparing for whatever was about to appear behind them.

"One minute..." Norman said. His eyes widened. "I know this sound. They are Hyper Beam impacts!"

"Must be the Linoone or Mightyena!" Brendan exclaimed.

"We must do something to protect the station!" Arthur ran to the officer in charge. "Miss! We are trainers. Can we help with anything?"

"One moment," asked the officer who began to recognize Arthur. "You are Arthur, from the Conference, right?" Another Hyper Beam boom hit the door.

"Arthur, Brendan, Norman! We are going to need your pokémon to repel them, move away from the door in case of any cross-fire! I'll go inform the civilians to stay away from the shooting," the lead officer said.

Then the officer went where Brendan and Birch had entered. "Join me here professor, it is too dangerous!"

The professor nodded. "Arthur, Batuo, Norman, son…be careful…" Professor Birch followed the Officer Jenny to the back of the station.

Arthur, Brendan and Norman nodded and took out their pokémon. Arthur released Bahamut, Kaiser, Lucy, Leonard, and Shadow. Brendan released his team: Swampert, Aggron, Shiftry, Rhyperior, Flygon and Macargo. Norman released Slaking, Vigoroth and Slakoth.

The pokémon seemed to be aware of the situation, and started to talk amongst themselves. After another impact, one that partially severed the bar of the door, they nodded and began to move into position. Their trainers watched to see what they had planned.

Rhyperior and Swampert were to the left side of the room and taking cover behind a desk with two of the police officers who looked a little frightened at the sight of them. Kaiser and Aggron were on the right side, also behind a desk with two policemen. The hall was large two story room; the second floor was composed of walkways that formed a veritable web overhead. Slaking, Vigoroth and Slakoth settled on a walkway that was located halfway between the two overturned desks where the police were hiding below. The rest of the pokémon were located in other positions: Macargo and Bruce were in the corner near the door, Shiftry and Medicham were behind Swampert and Rhyperior and Kaiser and Aggron. The Salemence and Flygon took flight, preparing to attack anyone who dared to enter.

Bruce gestured to Arthur, who interpreted it as a message to retreat further back. The four pokemon trainers positioned themselves behind Shiftry and Medicham, protecting themselves from any danger. Another impact hit the door, twisting the bar even further; another blow cracked the door and a final hit pulverized it. With the door gone, an orange ray of energy crossed the room, passing through the middle of the hall, close to Arthur and the others. The Hyper Beam hit and went through the wall on the far side of the hall. Everyone prayed that the beam hadn't hit anyone.

Everyone could see a large group of Linoone and Mightyena panting with exhaustion after using all the Hyper Beam attacks that they could muster. Behind them were dozens, perhaps even hundreds of wild pokémon, eager to enter and take the lives of everyone inside the station.

Bruce let out a war cry and then Swampert, Rhyperior, Kaiser, Aggron, Slakoth, Vigoroth, and Slaking prepared to use Hyper Beam. But strangely, the seven orange beams of energy did not shoot directly towards the door but instead converged, and joined into a single one, forming what seemed to be a large orange sphere. The humans covered their eyes from the bright glow emanating from it and the pokemon looked stunned at what the rays were causing: they only wanted to blast through their opponents, not to fuse the beams. After a critical point, the sphere moved forward and out the door, turning into giant beam of energy.

At that moment, about one hundred pokémon waiting outside the door vanished, vaporized by the giant Hyper Beam and obliterated from the face of the earth. They didn't feel any pain; at most all they felt was sheer horror from the awe inspiring sight of the attack. The beam kept going, piercing everything in its path, no matter if they were homes, businesses, bodies or wild pokémon. Eventually, the beam petered out and exploded with great force nearly five hundred meters away. The shockwave from the blast wiped out everything near the impact site and was so powerful that everyone inside the station felt it.

A moment of absolute silence followed.

Everyone in the room could not believe what had happened and they remained motionless for a few moments until several Mightyena, Poochyena, Linoone and Zigzagoon recovered from their shock and continued to press their attack. The surge of pokémon quickly bought everyone back to reality. Bruce and Macargo unleashed a torrent of fire that incinerated those entering. The fire burned through fur, skin and flesh, leaving behind charred remains.

Shiftry joined the battle, throwing the lethally sharp leaves of his Razor Leaf attack, slicing through enemies that entered. Rhyperior, Kaiser, Aggron and the trio of normal pokémon on the walkway fired deadly Hyper Beam attacks that vaporized the entering pokémon. Swampert used a stream of water that looked much different than usual; it was as thin as a string but had the cutting power of the sharpest blade. Leonard used his telekinesis to snap necks, wrench or crush organs or strangle. Failing that, the Alakazam blew holes in the attacking pokémon with Psybeam attacks fired from his spoons. Shadow blasted the attackers with Shadow Ball while Bahamut incinerated still more of the pokémon with Flamethrower. Flygon spewed Dragonbreath to accompany Bahamut's attack. The stream of green fire was different than normal fire. The stream of fire landed outside the building. Any that dared enter suffered its napalm-like effects

At that time, a group of Taillow and Swellow came flying over the flames. The horde was immediately met by Lucy's Thunderbolt, who was next to Arthur. Soon, the shotguns of the police officers started to roar as the police officers took aim and shot down any Taillow or Swellow that they saw. Shiftry also started adding his razored leaves to the hail of lead shot and lightning bolts. The sharp leaves tore through the flying-type pokémon with little effort; apparently, the element of the attack did not matter. All that mattered was the severity. Bahamut and Flygon also joined in with Aerial Ace. Those two were the edge that the defenders needed to defeat the aggressive flock.

The scene was something unlike any battle that could have been seen before by anyone present. Dozens of bodies were being piled in the hall and the trainers of these powerful pokémon could only watch in awe as the pokémon struggled to protect the civilians and their own trainers. Gradually, fatigue began to set in among the defenders. Flygon's magic fire started to weaken and additional wild pokémon began to enter. The situation began to become increasingly desperate, to the point that Arthur and Batuo decided to wade into the battle to help them. They fought side by side with Bruce and Medicham respectively. Both of them slashed and hacked at the wild pokémon in a lethal and elegant dance that everyone present had once thought was confined to movies.

But despite the help of the two monks, the enemies began to arrive in ever greater numbers, at any time they could be overrun and killed.

"Damn ... If this continues we are going to…." Brendan said to himself as he clenched his fist.

Suddenly everyone began to hear noises in the distance. Noises like those of a large pack of pokémon.

"Could it be...?" Arthur muttered as he lowered his _jian_.

He began to hear screams and howls of pain from enemies who were still outside. Soon about three dozen Houndoom and two dozen Houndour came through the door and spat gouts of fire at the wild pokémon. This particular fire was especially nasty — the pain from their burns was said to never go away. Andrew confidently strode into the building. He was dressed in what appeared fatigues and armed with what looked like an assault rifle. He fired bursts at any hostile pokémon he could see while the faithful Houndoom protecting their master's blind spots. Finally, all enemies in the hall had been killed. The remaining enemies retreated to the woods outside of town to lick their wounds and recuperate.

Arthur approached his friend with open arms; Andrew slung his rifle on his back and received the grateful hug.

"Andrew! If weren't for you, we would be all dead!" Arthur exclaimed.

"I came as soon as possible; the wild pokémon attacked the ranch but we drove them off. We headed to the city as soon as we could. Mom and I assumed they would all be here because of the concentration of pokémon and attacks on the main door."

Soon, civilians came out of hiding inside the station. No one had been hurt by invading pokémon or the Hyper Beam, thanks to the early warning by the Officer Jenny.

Caroline and Max soon arrived, accompanied by the mayor, a slightly chubby man in his fifties with gray hair, and the head of the police station, another middle-aged balding man with a beard and mustache.

"I congratulate you all," said the police chief. "If not for your efforts, we would all be dead."

"Thanks to you, not one of the approximately one hundred and fifty civilians who made here was harmed. If we weren't in a state of emergency, each of you would have earned a medal," the mayor added happily.

Caroline and Max ran into the waiting arms of Norman giving him hugs as a wife and a son, respectively.

"Honey, I was so scared that something would happen," Caroline said.

"It was so scary..." Max added.

Behind them came Professor Birch. "Max, Arthur, Batuo, Norman, all the pokémon, I'm proud of you and grateful for all you have done, definitely all of you are our saviors. Andrew, I'm glad that you and your mother are well; your Houndoom and Houndour arrived when they were most needed. Ladies and gentlemen, let's give an applause to our saviors!"

Suddenly, the survivors who had made it to the police station began to emerge, applauding their rescuers for their bravery and sacrifice. Soon the hall was filled with a chorus of clapping hands.

After a meeting with all the survivors, an agreement was reached: the city was too dangerous to stay in because all the wild pokémon could return at any moment to finish what they started. It was decided to form a caravan which would travel outside of the city to look for a better place to shelter the population; to distribute the weapons in Batuo's house, the police station and Andrew's house among the capable men. Of course, this had the effect of all but confirming the long-held rumor that had circulated among the police: Andrew's family or at least his father had kept illegal military weapons inside the house for ages.

"You do not understand the passion I share with my father! We only used them just for target shooting! I swear!" Andrew shouted as the police grilled him about his arsenal. It was true; he had sometimes invited Arthur to target shoot on the outskirts of the city where no one could hear the gunshots and he had taught Arthur how to shoot. What had generated complaints from people living nearby were the occasional sound of gunfire and the finding of empty shell casings littering the ground at some sites. The police had never found the one responsible even though they had raided Andrew's house before.

"If it weren't for the current situation, you'd be in deep trouble, boy!" the lead Officer Jenny replied.

While possession of firearms among civilians was illegal, the additional guns were a blessing. The house contained a pair of assault rifles, several submachine guns and even some grenades. Andrew told them that the latter were not kept for use; rather for "collection".

"How did they get all of this?! And how did they manage to hide them from us for so many years?!" the amazed police chief asked as he laid eyes on Andrew's arsenal.

"Nothing more than the work of my father and a few contacts, sir," Andrew replied.

It was past noon when Professor Birch approached Arthur and company. "I have to tell you something. It's been decided that some people would leave Petalburg City tomorrow in the morning to head towards Rustboro City but there is something I would like to retrieve in my laboratory in Littleroot Town that could be useful for the trip and protect the pokémon I have been left in charge of. Could you help us?"

Arthur and Brendan decided to sign up for the mission, since they could quickly arrive there with their Flygon and Salamence. After preparing themselves for the trip, they prepared their pokémon for the flight.

Andrew approached Arthur before they departed. "You probably won't need it with your training, but I would feel better if you took it. Do you remember how to use it?" Andrew asked as he held out a pistol.

"I still remember but I haven't shot one in years. I hope I don't have to use it," Arthur replied as he took the gun, an extra magazine and a holster to carry it.

The two dragon pokémon took flight with Flygon carrying Brendan and Birch and Bahamut carrying Arthur. They would fly over to Oldale Town and Littleroot Town; there was little hope of finding survivors but it did not hurt to check them from above.


End file.
